Update The Customer Of Progress

Business.

Yes, i mind waiting - 10 ways to reduce lineup stress for staff and customers - yes, i mind waiting. 10 ways to reduce lineup stress for staff and customers. If you answered positively to any of these options, then you' re like most of us who definitely do mind waiting.

How do you let a cashier know that you' re in a hurry when you' re waiting in line? look at you watch and shake your head. sigh, and roll your, huff eyes. complain to others in the line. say to the person at the till, "We' re in a hurry here! " all of the above. - lineups are frustrating. That means that if you don' t manage your lineups properly, you' ll lose business due to customer frustration. They are barriers that prevent customers from fulfilling necessary and often tedious tasks. Not to mention your staff will be stressed - out. Most managers think the best way to manage a lineup is to get the staff to work faster. That' s a lose/ lose scenario.

Often, this only creates worse problems. - it' s impossible to go flat - out without eventual burn - out. Consider the impact on your staff of trying to work at full speed. Morale drops. Tired employees make more mistakes. Turnover increases.

Which take even more time to fix. - only a fool would want tired, aggravated employees interacting with customers. Ditto for the negative impact of working faster on your customers. Working faster to get through a line - up cuts short the human interaction that creates customer feelings of loyalty. Instead, we need ways to reduce the stress of lineups for both customers and staff - without working faster. In the long term, working faster doesn' t work. Here are ten: Warn the customer in advance.

Though delays can happen for legitimate medical reasons, some doctor' s offices reduce patient frustration by phoning in advance and warning them of the delay. - ever been frustrated by the long waiting - room lineup to see a doctor? (i, know - silly question) . If your customer calls and says that they plan to come in, suggest the best times for them to drop - in to avoid waiting. If you know the customer will have some" preliminaries" when they arrive - such as filling out forms, suggest that they arrive early to complete them before the scheduled appointment or event. Schedule time for preparatory tasks. Acknowledge people entering the line.

That means a person who wants to spend money is being deliberately ignored. - too often, the first time the employee acknowledges the customer is when they get to the front of the line. Lousy strategy. Organize the line. Instead, acknowledge customers with a" Hi there! " or" I' ll be with you in just a few minutes! " as they enter the lineup. Often, people don' t mind waiting if they can avoid standing in line and yet still keep their place. They' re paged just before it' s their turn.

Some restaurants and medical offices give customers pagers so they can go shopping while they wait. - distract and entertain the customer. Instead, they added mirrors to the inside of the elevator. A sociology experiment found that the best way to speed - up a slow elevator was not to add a faster motor. People got so caught - up in looking at themselves they thought the ride was twice as fast. Examples: - Restaurants could offer reading material to people who are dining alone. - Disney theme parks provide video updates about the ride you waiting for. - any unusual conversation piece will take your customer on a mental holiday.

Lesson: you can reduce the perceived length of the lineup with a distraction. - a orlando hotel distracts guests waiting to register by herding live ducks to the fountain in the lobby. Provide seating, food and drink. Provide comfort. On busy Saturdays, a Calgary car wash brings you free pop and hot dogs while you wait in your vehicle. Prevent frazzled nerves for everyone by providing a play area for toddlers. Amuse the kids.

Parents will love you for it. - even if you' re not completely ready for the customer, you can still let them know you' re working on their behalf. Update the customer of progress. A travel agent, can phone the, for example client to inform them that they' ve booked the flights, and are working on the hotel. If it' s an unusually long delay, apologize to the customer, explain the delay and thank them for waiting. Explain unusual delays. When a pharmacist explained to me that his assistant had quit that day, so he was short staffed, I didn' t mind the wait.

If your lineups are sporadic you can increase capacity on the spot without spending extra money. - if he hadn' t pointed that out, i wouldn' t have returned. 1increase staff at no extra cost. Carol Chuback, manager of a Greyhound Courier Depot, installed a doorbell under the cashier' s counter. Bottom line - no one likes lineups. When the teller notices more than 2 people is line, he discretely rings the doorbell signaling to a co - worker in the back to come to assist at the front counter. But that' s no reason to ask staff to burn themselves out. That' s what I call win/ win.

By getting creative you' ll boost your repeat business, and you' ll make the buying experience more pleasant for everyone.